Province prepares to lift stay-at-home order

TORONTO — Ontario will begin the process of re-opening over the coming weeks, with the current stay-at-home order set to expire on Tuesday, February 16.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Monday, with local plans still undecided at press time.

The announcement allows previously non-essential retail businesses to re-open, with restrictions in place. This will allow in-person shopping to resume, provided the retailers follow strict guidelines including a limit of 25 per cent capacity.

With schools re-opening this week, Monday’s announcement comes as welcome news to thousands of Ontarians who have experienced a slow down in their retail employment.

Beginning February 16, the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions will be eased back into the COVID-19 Response Framework, but it is unclear where each region will land on the colour-coded framework scale.

Locally, Windsor-Essex County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Wajid Ahmed, says a decision will be made later this week, as to what colour-coded part of the framework Windsor-Essex will fall under.

For up-to-date information, visit the provincial website at Ontario.ca.